Dinosaurs.
Do you dig 'em?Well, you can, at dinosaur sites in North America and around the world. And even if you don't want to actually dig for dinosaurs, you can walk in their fossilized footprints in Colorado or be present for the grand opening of the new Dakota Dinosaur Museum in June in Dickinson, N.D. (June 17, 18 and 19).
Let's face it, almost everybody loves dinosaurs. Look at the popularity of TV's purple paleontological performer, Barney. And then there's Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park," the 1993 dino-drama that is nearing the billion-dollar mark in worldwide theater-ticket sales.
Barney and the movie didn't create widespread interest in these prehistoric critters, though. Dinosaurs have long been objects of interest and affection among diverse segments of the population, ranging from grade-school children to legions of Ph.D.-carrying fossil hunters.
And if you - or members of your family - fit into one of those categories, the Dinosaur Society may well be able to help you plan a summer vacation that includes some up-close-and-personal dinosaur experiences.
The nonprofit organization, which is devoted to encouraging dinosaur research and education around the world, has just published its first annual "Guide to Vacationing With the Dinosaurs." The guide, complete with map, provides detailed information on 28 sites in North America "where you can spend some time outdoors digging, tracking, seeing and celebrating dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals."
The listings include site locations, contact persons and their phone numbers, the activities available at each site - from actually digging for dinosaur fossils to simply listening to lectures or viewing films - dates of digs and events, costs of the various programs and a brief description of each site.
Among the offerings are:
- Instructional hikes, amphitheater programs and bus tours into the badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, where fossil remains of 35 dinosaur species have been found.
- Three days of preparatory lab work and 10 days of field work at dino digs in the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.
- The annual Dinosaur Festival (July 21-24) in Grand Junction, Colo., which includes a street dance called the "Stegosaurus Stomp."
The vacation guide is included in a special summer edition of Dino Times, the society's newsletter sent 12 times a year to the children among its nearly 10,000 members.
(It's at this point that I should probably tell you how you can go about getting a copy of the "Guide to Vacationing with Dinosaurs." So go get a pair of scissors and get ready to cut out the next paragraph.)
For information on membership in the Dinosaur Society and obtaining a copy of "Guide to Vacationing with Dinosaurs," call, toll-free, 1-800-346-6366.
(Did you cut that out? Good. Now attach it to the door of your refrigerator so it will be handy when you want to call during regular business hours.)
The dinosaur vacation guide is not meant to be an exhaustive list of dinosaur museums, according to Thom Holmes of Haddonfield, Pa., editor of Dino Times. Instead, it is the society's effort to help dino-lovers get out into the field and in many cases participate in research digs.
Promoting - and funding - field research is one of the chief activities of the Dinosaur Society, which is only three years old. It was founded in 1991 by Don Lessem (the society's toll-free number, noted above, is usually presented as 1-800-DINO-DON), the author of several dinosaur books, including "Digging Up T-Rex" and "Kings of Creation."
Today, the society's officers and advisory committee include respected paleontologists and scholars from related disciplines, including Peter Dobson, anatomy professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a vice president of the society.
The society, which contributes about $200,000 annually to dinosaur field research around the world, is also involved in helping to disseminate the results of that research.
"We help a lot of teachers bring dinosaurs into the classroom," Ray Ann Havasy, executive director of the society, said from society headquarters in East Islip, N.Y. "Interest in dinosaurs peaks in the third, fourth and fifth grades, and I can't tell you how many calls and letters (requesting information) we get from teachers."
Individual membership fees ($19.95 for children, $25 for adults, $40 for families) are a major source of funding for the society. But, Havasy said, other large potential funding sources are corporate memberships and sponsorships. Often, the corporations involved publish books about dinosaurs or sell products, frequently toys, related to dinosaurs.
One company that has been a big booster of the society is Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment.
When "Jurassic Park" became an instant blockbuster, the society - along with Research Casting Inc., a Canadian company that cast some of the dinosaur skeletons seen in the film - proposed a museum-exhibit spinoff from the movie. Amblin, said Havasy, "couldn't have been more supportive."
The result was another smash, a traveling exhibit titled "The Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park." According to Havasy, this exhibit, and still another one, are touring major museums in this country and Europe and setting attendance records wherever they are installed.
As well they might. After all, there are an awful lot of you out there who, ahem, dig dinosaurs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact the Dinosaur Society, 200 Carleton Ave., East Islip, N.Y. 11730; phone 1-800-346-6366.